José Manuel Sapag upbeat following promising TCR Europe weekend

Target Competition driver José Manuel Sapag completed his first TCR Europe series race weekend of 2020 at Barcelona, with the Argentinian feeling upbeat after scoring points in both races.

Sapag initially had plans for a full season in Europe, but the Covid-19 pandemic put a spanner in his plans.

“I had driven this car back in February at Paul Ricard,” Sapag told TouringCarTimes. “But, due to the pandemic, I spent several months unable to drive a racing car.”

The Argentinian started the weekend on the back foot, finishing 20th and 19th in the two practice sessions.

“On Friday it was difficult, I was very far from the others, it was difficult for me as I wasn’t comfortable driving the car,” said the Target Competition driver.

“We worked a lot with the team, they helped me a lot as they are very professional.”

The situation improved for the first race, with Sapag crossing the finishing line in 12th place. On Sunday, in a challenging race due to the warm temperatures, the Argentinian climbed to eighth position.

“In the races I had good pace, I was 12th on Saturday and eighth today, so I’m very happy and very satisfied with this result,” added the Target Competition driver.

Sapag is upbeat and optimistic about the forthcoming races: “This is the first time since February that I have driven this car. That’s why I wasn’t up to speed and it took me a while to adapt but, given the experience, I think I can do a good job.”

The Argentinian will compete in the remainder of the TCR Europe season, also having two appearances at WTCR events.

“We’ve prepared a reduced programme with a few races here in Europe also due to the transport limitations because of the Covid-19,” added Sapag. “So I’ll be racing at Spa-Francorchamps and Jarama in the TCR Europe, and I will be also participating in the WTCR at the Hungaroring and Adria.

“If the situation at a worldwide level improves, the target is to have a full season in Europe next year,” Sapag concluded.